The use of wireless devices is widespread. A wireless device can include a wide range of portable devices such as portable computing platforms, including tablet, palmtop, laptop, and other form factors, as well as cell phones, smart phones, and other devices capable of wireless communication. Wireless devices often signal a user with an audio signal to provide information to a user or to capture a user's attention. For example, a cell phone or smart phone may signal an incoming call to a user with an audio signal often referred to as a ringtone. When a user hears the ringtone, the user can act based on the signal (for example, answering the call, directing the call to voice mail, or ignoring the call but noting the time of the call and/or the identity of the caller). Notifications of received messages such as email or text messages, or of event notifications such as calendar events, can be similarly provided to a user with an audio signal.
A person's ability to hear certain frequencies can be diminished for many reasons. For example, as people age the ability to hear higher frequencies typically diminishes. Injury and illness can also reduce one's ability to hear certain frequencies. People with diminished hearing may have difficulty hearing a ringtone or other similar audio signal from a wireless device, which can degrade their ability to use the wireless device and diminish the user experience due to missed audio notifications.
Overview
In one embodiment, a plurality of frequencies are generated at a wireless device, and a frequency which a user perceives as the loudest frequency is determined from among the plurality of frequencies. A first frequency range comprising a first minimum frequency and a first maximum frequency is selected based on the determined frequency. When a ringtone which is in a second frequency is received at the wireless device, the second ringtone is processed to shift the second frequency range to within the first frequency range, wherein an average frequency of the processed ringtone is the determined loudest frequency.